


Tying Up Loose Ends

by Kereea



Series: Adventures When Not Adventuring [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Emotions, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Potential Spoilers, Relationship(s), Withdrawal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 07:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3373583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kereea/pseuds/Kereea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Well, since Dorian and Cullen are romancing each other in my universe, it's only fair they handle one of each others' quests!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Magister's Birthright

“I’ll go with you.” It was out of his mouth before he could second-guess it.

“You hate Orlais,” Dorian pointed out. “…Ah. Has our dear Inquisitor finally resorted to locking you out of your office to make you rest?”

“Of course not, my bedroom’s in there too in case you’ve forgotten.”

Dorian smiled flirtatiously, “Oh, however could I forget that infernal ladder?”

Cullen chuckled, “Yes, well, perhaps the Inquisitor and Cassandra will lighten up on ordering me to take breaks if I take the initiative on this. Still, no need to go traipsing about the continent on your own, even if it’s just to reclaim a necklace.”

“Amulet.”

“I don’t know what the difference is,” Cullen admitted. “But it’s important to you so that’s a god enough reason.”

Dorian looked surprised. “Really?”

“I said so, didn’t I?” Cullen asked. “Unless you’d rather I not, of course…”

“No, no, just surprised at the offer,” Dorian said. “I…it’s just…it might give the merchant ideas. His letter…he wanted to speak with the Inquisitor.”

Well, now Cullen did want to speak with the man. “Then I very much want to investigate that as well as help you out.”

“Ah, ah, ah, but wouldn’t that be working?” Dorian teased.

“Dorian.”

“Fine, fine. Tell whoever you need to that you’ll be going, then?”

Cullen nodded and left the library.

.o.o.o.

The merchant was in a shadowy corner. That didn’t bode well.

“I asked for the Lady Inquisitor,” the merchant said with a frown.

“You got the Lord Commander,” Cullen said coolly.

“Who is _not_ who I asked for,” the merchant replied.

Cullen folded his arms and glared at the merchant who shut up. Dorian looked mildly impressed at him for it. “The Inquisitor is a busy woman. I’ll be the judge if this is worth her time.”

“She is the only one who can grant me what I want,” the man explained.

“Anyone can pay you!” Dorian complained.

“I do not want money, I am not a fence, young man,” the merchant said. His voice was very oily. “I purchased the birthright at great expense because it enable me to do more business in Tevinter.”

“How does that work?” Cullen asked.

“Having a birthright, even if it’s not yours…it can get you places,” the merchant said.

“He’s right about that,” Dorian huffed.

“So why the Inquisitor?” Cullen asked.

“There is a league of merchants, noble merchants, the League de Celestine. I wish to join it, improve my prospects…but I lack the lineage.”

“But if someone like the Herald of Andraste supported you…” Dorian snarled.

“Exactly, monsieur,” the merchant said.

“Let me see if I have this right,” Cullen said. “Dorian, you needed money and so sold your amulet, either to this man or some other merchant?” Dorian nodded. “Merchant, you considered the amulet an investment to help with your trading and will now only trade it away for a better business opportunity?”

“For the opportunity I have asked of you and none other,” the merchant replied. This was so frustrating. Politics. Cullen hated politics. “It is perfectly equitable recompense. I am sure, as the young man’s _friend_ -”

“Damn it he’s not my friend he’s…” Dorian stopped talking as Cullen turned to him in shock. “He’s…you never mind what he is!”

Maker’s breath, what was with the mage today? Dorian was usually so relaxed… “Dorian, what do you think?”

“I think this man is slime,” Dorian huffed, folding his arms. “And I don’t want Li- _the Inquisitor_ getting involved in something like this.”

And yet she’d probably eviscerate Cullen for not telling her what was wrong with her friend. Lilith Trevelyan was like that. “We’ll have to see what we can do. Should you get what you want..?”

“The amulet will be sent to Skyhold without delay,” the merchant said quickly.

Now that he thought about it…hadn’t he heard of the League…

The Ball. This could work out if played correctly.

“Let’s just go,” Dorian said, shaking his head.

“Are you all right?” Cullen asked as they took to the city streets once more.

“I just…I can’t believe this…and you! You’re going to tell her, aren’t you? Going to try and get the Inquisitor to fix my mess?” Dorian asked.

“Not exactly.”

“…And what does that mean?”

“It means if I’m correct and do this right, Inquisitor Trevelyan will never be involved,” Cullen said as his plan finally took shape.

“What are you talking about?” Dorian asked.

“Do you recall how at the Winter Ball I was being consistently flirted with?” Cullen asked. “Well…Leliana and Josephine got me to agree to use that for the Inquisition’s benefit.”

“What?” Dorian asked. “You _must_ be joking!”

“I wish I was,” Cullen admitted. “But I do recall one or two of them mentioning that League that man was so interested in when they were bragging. Josephine and I can probably handle this.”

“What?” Dorian asked. “Surely you’re not saying what I think you are…”

“I’m already occasionally having to play nice with those nobles to keep them happy and allied with the Inquisition,” Cullen continued. “Might as well get something _I_ want out of it.”

Frankly just the idea of using the stupid farce to his personal advantage for once was almost making him giddy.

“Are you…I mean are you sure?” Dorian asked. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“As I said, I’m dealing with it anyway, might as well throw in something actually useful,” Cullen said.

“I…Cullen, I don’t be in your debt. Or anyone else’s debt!” Dorian was getting venomous again and Cullen had no idea why. Or why Dorian would think he’d be indebted to Cullen for this at all.

“You can’t really think-”

“I don’t want to discuss it!” the mage snapped, storming off.

Cullen shook his head. Pride. Of course.

.o.o.o.

It was stunningly easy, which admittedly had Cullen on edge even if there was no reason to be. Old habits.

The Count and Baroness he—and Josephine, _bless her_ , because he had no idea how to subtly slip this sort of thing into a letter—had written to had been only too happy to accept someone to the League based on his “excellent opinion.”

Frankly if he wasn’t so glad at getting back Dorian’s amulet he’d probably want to take a bath. He hated politicking—that was Josephine and Leliana’s business. The Inquisitor’s if she had to. Still, it had its uses…

.o.o.o.

Dorian was reading an old journal of Tevinter genealogy, still hunting for Corypheus, when Cullen approached him.

“This just arrived,” the blonde said, passing him a thick envelope. “Looks like my word was enough to get him where he wanted to go.”

Dorian glanced between Cullen and the package before slowly opening it and drawing the House Pavus amulet out by the chain.

“Is that the right one? He didn’t swindle us, did he?” Cullen asked, possibly worried since Dorian hadn’t said anything yet.

“No, no, it’s mine,” Dorian said. “Just…glad to have it back.”

“Good,” Cullen said. “I mean, I’m glad to hear it.”

He looked adorable, smiling softly like that. “Well, Commander, it seems I’m in your debt.”

Cullen rolled his eyes, “I’ve told you to use my name, Dorian. And you’re not in my debt in the slightest.”

“Well why _else_ go through the trouble get me this back other than to have me in your debt?”

“It was the right thing to do,” Cullen said as if it was obvious.

“The right thing he says?” Dorian asked. “To use the resources of the Inquisition simply to get _me_ something I wanted?”

“It wasn’t the Inquisition’s resources, it was my own free time,” Cullen said. “And, fine, I admit, some wording help from Josephine.”

“But people will think-”

“That you’re the evil Tevinter Magister who has me doing his bidding?” Cullen asked, voicing Dorian’s thoughts exactly.

“Ah…”

“Because you’re not. Yes, I did this for you. Because I care about you. That does _not_ mean you’re manipulating me and anyone who assumes it does is completely wrong,” Cullen said, folding his arms in that same imperious way he had used to intimidate the merchant. It was still very impressive-looking.

“I just…I don’t care what they think of me for this but I’m more than a bit worried about how they’ll think of you, of us,” Dorian said.

“I don’t much care what people think of my personal life. If I’m doing my job as Commander correctly that should be their only concern,” Cullen said. “As I’ve said before, I despise gossip on principal.”

“You southerners are something else,” Dorian muttered while he tried to come up with something more appropriate to say. “I…apologize, for being such an ass at the merchant’s.”

“He was worse of one,” Cullen said, seemingly shrugging it off. As if it was really so easy.

“Still, it was unworthy of me and I ask your forgiveness,” Dorian said.

“Then you have it,” Cullen said before leaning close and pressing a quick kiss to Dorian’s lips.

Dorian smiled, “Perhaps I could stop by your office later and…work off my debt?”

“Dorian, I told you, you’re not in debt…oh.”

“There we go,” Dorian teased. “See you tonight, amatus?”

Cullen looked a bit bewildered at the endearment, but didn’t ask what it meant. Good. Dorian wasn’t sure he was ready to explain something like that.

.o.o.o.

Dorian woke up to a lot more light than he was used to and a heavy weight around his waist.

Oh. This was Cullen’s room. With the hole in the roof. And…that was Cullen.

Why had he stayed? He’d never stayed before when they’d done this in Cullen’s room, and Cullen hadn’t stayed the one time they’d done it in the cramped space Dorian called his own quarters…well, not that there would have been room, really Dorian was shocked they’d even managed to have sex in there at all…

“Dorian, I can practically hear you thinking,” Cullen murmured from behind him. “And this is the first time I’ve gotten to sleep through the night in a week. Stop it.”

This…this was not how it went. Usually. Of course, being in something resembling a relationship at all wasn’t usual for him either…

He hissed as Cullen yanked him closer, “ _Dorian_.”

“Fine, fine.” He’d try and sort this out later. When Cullen wasn’t holding him tightly in what was frankly the greatest thing he’d ever woken up to. Later was much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my headcanon that Dorian and the Female Inquisitor are BFFs, and thus she'd be a bit peeved at Cullen if something was wrong and he said nothing (also in this universe Dorian confronted his father before he got with Cullen, hence it being this quest and not the earlier one).  
> Next up: Perseverance!


	2. Perseverance

Dorian had gone towards the door to check on what sounded like one hell of a fight, only to jump back as it slammed open and Cullen stormed out.

The Commander briefly looked like a stunned rabbit before rushing past with a muted, “Forgive me.”

“What?” Dorian asked. “Cullen what are you-” He looked inside the room to see Cassandra and Lilith. “What is he talking about?”

Lilith rubbed her earlobe between her fingers, “You didn’t know?”

“Know what?” Dorian asked.

“He stopped taking lyrium,” she said. “He asked Cassandra and I—especially Cassandra, given she’s a Seeker—to keep an eye on him and relieve him from duty if needed.”

“Did you…is that what just happened?” Dorian asked.

“No,” Cassandra said. “He gives himself too little credit. His performance has been fine. I believe his current…state…to simply have come from overworking himself.”

“And when you told him that he took it as being unable to do his job properly?” Dorian asked.

“It’s _Cullen_ ,” Lilith pointed out. “Remember? The man I have to order to take breaks?”

“He sees so much as slightly lightening his workload as a sign of weakness,” Cassandra complained.

“Then why not take the lyrium again? Why did he stop taking it in the first place?” Dorian asked.

“Because the suffering of Templars is to be beholden to whoever holds their lyrium leash,” Cassandra said. “Cullen wanted to prove the leash could be cut, to both himself and others who may wish to do the same.”

Pride. Something Dorian knew all too well. As well as Cullen’s love of being the one to suffer for others, apparently. “Well then…what can we do, ladies?”

“Maybe he’ll listen to you more than either of us,” Cassandra mused. “Given your relationship.”

Dorian kept his face blank as he wondered if he and Cullen were actually, well, in the sort of relationship that would allow that. He fingered his amulet. _Yes, I did this for you. Because I care about you._ “I…suppose we are quite close.”

“Thanks,” Lilith said. “I’ll talk to Josephine and Leliana about some way to help with his workload.”

Dorian nodded and left, heading for Cullen’s office. It took a decent jog through the castle to get there, and no sooner had he pushed the door open than a box collided with the frame. “Ah!”

“Maker’s breath!” Cullen swore as Dorian jumped back, “Dorian, I…I didn’t see you there. Forgive me.”

“No harm done amatus, after all, you missed,” Dorian said. He picked the box up, it seemed to be some sort of kit…lyrium, by the smell of it. Was it how Templars took it?

Cullen groaned as he leaned over his desk, “They told you, didn’t they?”

“Well it’s not like I wasn’t going to ask,” Dorian said. “I’m the curious sort if you hadn’t noticed. I’ll admit I’m a bit peeved you didn’t tell me yourself.” It probably would have explained the serious headaches Cullen sometimes got while playing chess…and the not sleeping…

Cullen sighed, “I didn’t want to worry you, I-” He hissed and slipped a bit, one leg nearly giving out.

“And _such_ a fantastic job you’re doing!” Dorian cried, hurrying over to steady him. “What if this had happened and I didn’t know what was going on? I’d probably have panicked and then all of Skyhold would know!”

Cullen just nodded, his jaw locked tightly.

Dorian glanced around before sighing, “I have never hated your bed being up a _ladder_ quite this much before.”

“I don’t need to lie down, I have to-”

“Commander I don’t care what you _have_ to do, I care that you _need_ to get some rest,” Dorian said. “I mean, are…are you going to be all right?”

“Yes, I…I don’t know,” Cullen sighed.

“Well, at least you’re honest,” Dorian muttered, pulling Cullen’s chair back over. “Sit down, at the very least. Or are you _trying_ to turn my lovely hair prematurely gray?”

Cullen snickered a bit at the joke. “That would indeed be a tragedy.”

“I’m _so_ glad you agree,” Dorian said as he tried to come up with some sort of solution. “You know, working yourself to death isn’t the answer, amatus. Then you’re dead and we have no one to do your job at all.”

That sounded horribly morbid. His words so often got away from his brain when dealing with Cullen.

Cullen chuckled again. Dorian noticed he had yet to sit down, “I suppose but…I don’t like giving the Inquisition less than I gave the Chantry.”

And people called Dorian too prideful. At least his pride didn’t come at the cost of his self-preservation. “You’re giving the Inquisition plenty, amatus. Don’t doubt that. You don’t need to be taking lyrium to do a good job.”

He gave up on getting Cullen to sit on his own. A gentle push had the former Templar all-but collapse into the chair.

“Dorian!”

“Yes?” he asked. “I thought you needed to work. You can do that sitting.”

Cullen frowned at him, “You have no intention of letting me work do y—argh…” He grabbed his head and slumped.

“Are you all right?” Dorian asked.

“Fine,” Cullen hissed. “Just…just give me a moment…”

Dorian grumbled to himself before leaning over and brushing Cullen’s hair back from his brow, “You’re getting feverish. Get in bed. If you’re _so_ desperate to work I’ll…I’ll bring some of this up and you can read it until you pass out, all right?”

Cullen grimaced at that but nodded, “Help me with my armor?”

Dorian smiled at the victory, “Of course.”

.o.o.o.

It was Kinloch all over again, pain and agony. He gasped for breath, fighting against whatever was weighing down on him-

“-tus are you-?”

He shoved the abomination away only to snap to alertness as the contact woke him up.

He was in bed. The only thing pressing on him was a thick quilt. Then that meant… “Dorian! Maker’s breath, I’m sor-”

“It’s fine; that nightmare sounded quite bad,” Dorian coughed, the hand clutching his collarbone betraying the fact that Cullen must have pushed him rather hard.

“Let me look at…arg…” Cullen hissed as sitting up too quickly made his head spin.

“Stop pushing yourself!” Dorian complained. “ _I’m_ fine, could heal this in a second if I wished, but you’re still clearly not well!”

“I’m sorry,” Cullen sighed.

“…So…I’ll admit I’m not entirely used to this situation…”Dorian said. “But…do you wish to talk?”

Cullen chewed his lip for a moment before giving in. Dorian deserved to know what had made him lash out. “I was first assigned to Kinloch Hold as a Templar. It was taken over by abominations, the other Templars, my friends…they were slaughtered but me…I’ll never know why me, but they kept me alive to torture. They tried to break my mind and…” His throat died up and he sighed, shaking his head.

Dorian had moved closer as he spoke, slowly, as if being careful with a spooked Mabari. He ran a hand over Cullen’s shoulder as he trailed off, “Amatus I’m so sorry…”

Cullen shook his head, “And _then_ I was at Kirkwall Circle, where the order sent me to recover. So I trusted my superior…and the mages there suffered for it. Kirkwall Circle fell, there were riots in the streets-”

“But after that you managed to help set things right and keep order there during the civil war.”

Cullen stared at him blankly. Dorian shrugged, “I once asked Cassandra how you got your job when we were wandering through some Maker-forsaken plains. When I was debating on how to best flirt with you.”

“I’m not nearly as heroic as that sentence makes me sound,” Cullen said, shaking his head.

Dorian kissed him and for those moments Cullen could think of nothing else. The mage was very good at being distracting.

“I’m sorry that you’ve had such hardship, amatus,” Dorian murmured against his lips.

Cullen pulled back with a sigh, “I hate thinking of it. But I can’t help it, especially with the withdrawals addling my mind…”

“Is that why you insist on working yourself to death? To take your mind off it?”

“It helps when it’s just the thoughts,” Cullen said, sending Dorian a grin they both knew was fake. “But when it’s more than that…”

“Does it just hurt or…I’m not sure how to ask this but does it hurt like when you were at Kinloch?”

“I’m not sure. Can’t keep my head straight enough when it gets bad to guess,” Cullen said. “But I hate the reminders or the pain, of who I once was-”

“Once were?”

“You’re best friends with the Inquisitor, a _Circle mage_ , Dorian, surely she’s mentioned _something_ of interacting with Templars?”

“Not much, and she always stresses that Oswtick was an unusually civil Circle,” Dorian replied. “She argues that point with Vivienne a lot, actually.”

“Well, Templars…we don’t trust mages. And after Kinloch I…I hated them.” It’s a hard admission to make, especially with a mage who thinks highly of him, a mage he loves quite deeply, sitting barely-clothed beside him. But he has to explain. “I hate that the man I was ten years ago probably would have killed you on sight.”

“You’d have tried, I’m certain, but I think my effectiveness against the Red Templars has proven you’d have had trouble succeeding,” Dorian said haughtily.

It was a joke, meant to draw him from such thoughts, and Cullen was grateful for it. And willing to play along in making light of the past. “Just because I rarely do battle now doesn’t mean I was never good at it.”

“Yes, well, how good can you be when you’ve startled the mage into setting you on fire? Bad habit of mine when I was younger, you see. And I was quite jumpy and nervous my first few years in the south, you see.”

“You? Nervous? Never!” He laughed and was glad he still could, at least until doing so made his head spin.

“Easy,” Dorian said, supporting him when he started to tilt to one side. “Lie back down. Festis bei umo canavarum, amatus!”

“What?” Cullen asked.

“You will be the death of me…amatus.”

“Are you ever going to translate that last bit?” Cullen asked.

“Maybe one day,” Dorian said and even with his head spinning Cullen could hear him getting nervous. Dorian, _nervous_. Novel concept.

He tugged Dorian down next to him, “One day it is, then.”

As the mage settled himself into a more comfortable position Cullen couldn’t help himself, “So…ou don’t think I should take it then?”

Dorian snorted, “I think you should do what you think is right and stop asking me questions in the middle of the night. Go back to sleep.”

Cullen smiled and obeyed.

.o.o.o.

A few days later, when his body didn’t ache and his head didn’t spin, Cullen pinned Dorian between himself and his desk. It felt nice to have things somewhat back to normal—the mage was an utter mother hen.

“Finally no more work to be done, no forsaken places to be dragged to…” Dorian said, looping his legs around Cullen’s waist. “Frankly I’d say it’s long overdue, amatus.”

Cullen used the amulet Dorian hadn’t taken off since recovering to pull the mage close just as Dorian tried to lean back, perhaps to initiate sex on the desk. Not that Cullen would entirely object to such, but he didn’t want to rush tonight. They had time, for goodness sake! “Slow down.”

“Mm, wants to take his time with me, does he?” Dorian purred.

“Objections?” Cullen asked before going for Dorian’s neck to make sure he didn’t her any.

“Ahh….oh that is _cheating_ you…no, all right?” Dorian huffed. “I’m…intrigued at the idea of having some time to ourselves.”

“What, I want to spend some time with the person I care for. Is taking it slow such an enigma?”

When Dorian didn’t answer Cullen pulled back, “Dorian?”

“I…nothing!” the mage stuttered. To Cullen’s amazement Dorian’s tanned face was turning red.

“So you can blush,” Cullen observed. “That’s new.”

“I have no idea what you…you’re being…” Dorian was actually flustered. “I mean you…”

Oh. He realized what this might be about, “I care about you, Dorian.”

Dorian stared at him before kissing him deeply. “ _Amatus_.”

Cullen was starting to get the idea of what that meant. And it meant he could probably handle anything so long as he still had Dorian by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Cullen I went with this quest, as it's really the one that resonates for me(look, the pretty lake is nice and all, but this one has more drama imo). I knew before I started that Dorian would pick the "what do you want?" option, given his personality.  
> Yes, there will be more from this series, most of it involving Cullrian in some fashion. Next up should actually be a prequel to this as it occurs before Dorian and Cullen get together (but has Lilith already hipping them).


End file.
